Democratic committee proves invaluable

Election Day started early at the Liberty High School polling station for Democratic committeeman George Treisner and plodded through the morning as he scratched off names of party faithful who arrived to vote.

At 11 a.m., things became frenetic. Treisner's wife, Darlene, relieved him at the poll. He jumped into his minivan and drove to polling spots on Bethlehem's north side -- Bethlehem Catholic High School, St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, Bartholomew House and City Hall -- to collect lists like the one he compiled at Liberty.

Along the way, he ate his lunch -- an apple, a roasted turkey breast sandwich and a bottle of water -- prepared by his wife.

His last stop was the Steelworkers union building, Van Bittner Hall, where dozens of Democratic committeepeople collected the lists and began making phone calls to Democrats who hadn't voted.

The process was repeated at 4 p.m. and once more before the polls closed at 8 p.m.

"It's a good process," Treisner said a day after the decisive Democratic sweep in Bethlehem. Party officials say they have been building their network of election workers for a dozen years, and Tuesday's results prove its effectiveness.

John Callahan cruised to victory in the mayor's race over Republican newcomer James Follweiler, and City Council candidates Gordon Mowrer, Robert Donchez, Magdalena Szabo and Ismael Arcelay all won handily.

"We have an army out there that you can't believe," said Jack Burke, city Democratic committee chairman.

He said that army descended on the homes of about 15,000 registered Democrats in the weeks leading up to the election, handing out fliers listing all the Democratic candidates.

City candidates also got a boost from the county party.

For the first time, the Northampton County Democratic Committee spent $12,000 for a political mailing that was broken down by County Council district and revised in the cities of Bethlehem and Easton to include not only countywide races, but also mayoral and council races, according to county Chairman Joe Long.

The mailer was sent to 7,000 households, Long said.

Callahan's landslide victory also resonated to the council contest. Callahan won every ward in the city, including the heaviest Republican area around Bethlehem Catholic High School.

By comparison, the Republican Party in Bethlehem has only a recently appointed interim committee chair in former state representative candidate Howard Forman. On top of that, Democrats enjoy a 55 percent to 32 percent voter registration edge over Republicans.

Whereas the Democrats were able to have poll workers like Treisner at 37 of 40 wards in the city, Republicans were spread thin.

"You can't compete with that," said Republican candidate Esther Lee, who lost her bid for a two-year council term to Arcelay. "We've got to do something different to overcome that machine."

Long said fellow Democrats outside the city have noticed the work of the Bethlehem committee. "With the organization the city of Bethlehem has in place, never underestimate it. It's probably one of the best in the state," Long said. "We have people calling from around the state who want to know what our system is because they want to adopt it. It's very effective."

Keeping the faithful active and recruiting new members to the Democratic organization is helped by a couple of things that Burke said may not be used elsewhere.

For one thing, the committee rents the Pennsylvania Playhouse for one play a year -- partly as a fund-raiser and partly to build camaraderie among the committee members. And every year, the committee holds a picnic.

But perhaps most telling is the event that will be held Wednesday in the Grover Cleveland Democratic Club.

"We have a thank-you night for anybody who has worked for the committee," Burke said. "It's the first thing you do toward the next election. If you want them to work for you next time, it's nice to thank them first."